COAST ARTILLERY, JOURNAL - Air Defense Artillery

564 THE COAST ARTILLERY JOURNAL
inch and lines placed at 10-yard intervals and with a pivot headed only sufficiently
to hold the discs, it is believed that the mean spotting error can be
reduced to ten yards at the ranges employed in this practice and with a well
trained and practiced spotting detail.
The Seventh Coast Artillery (R. D.)
The Coat of Arms of the 7th Coast Artillery was approved.by the War Department
on July 20, 1924,and its h.!azonryis as follows:
Shield: Gules (red), a pile voided or (gold) crusily-fitchyof the like (gold)
over all a Railway Gun in the act of firing argent (silver), flameproper (in natural
color) .
Crest: On a wreath of the colors (gold and red) a panther passant, gardant,
incensed or (gold) flamesproper (natural colors).
Motto: Nullius Pavet Occursum (He fears no encounter).
The 7th Regiment of Artillery was organized in 1898 and of the twelve batteries
then included in the organization eight batteries constitute the present 7th
Coast Artillery. Old Batteries C, M, and 0 are known today as Batteries F and B
of the 3d Field Artillery, and Battery B, 5th Field Artillery. Old Battery N is now
Battery A, 62d Coast Artillery. In 1901 the regiments of artillery were discontinued
and the heavy and light batteries were designated as Coast and Light
Artillery units, but continued as one branch of the Army, under the Chief of
Artillery. In 1907 they were divided into Coast Artillery Corps and Field
Artillery. The former were serially numbered in each fort where garrisoned in
1916 and again renumbered according to Coast Defenses in 1917. The system of
designation of the companies in 1901 was again adopted by G. O. No. 21, W. D.
1922,and superceded hy regimental designations in 1924. There are two units in
the 7th Coast Artillery which have battle participation to their credit, namely,
Headquarters Battery and Battery D. The former during the World' War was
Battery H, 53d Artillery, Coast Artillery Corps, and Battery E, 42d Artillery,
Coast Artillery Corps, and is credited with firing the first hostile shot by American
Railway Artillery in the War. This shot was fired from a 32-cm.French railroad
gun at Somme Suppes on the Butte de Mesnil front. This battery was in the
following operations: Champagne sector, 29 April to 14 July, 1918; Champagne-
Marne defensive,15 July to 18 July, 1918; Champagne sector, 18 July to 21 September,
1918. Battery n, 53d Artillery, received an army citation signed by
General Petain, the CommandingGeneral in Chief, and was awarded the French
Croix de Guerre with palm, under Order No. 10,805D, dated October 22, 1918,
General Headquarters, French Armies of the North and Northeast, with the following
citation, which was published in General Orders No. 11, War Department,
March 27, 1924.
Aroused on July 14, 1918, when the camp was subjected to a violent
bombardment of shrapnel and special shells, this hattery went into action
almost instantaneously under the orders ,of Captain Gardner and continued
firing until its ammunition was expended. Under an uninterrupted bombardment,
and in spite of serious losses in personnel, it never suspended firing
for an instant.
Battery D, 7th Coast Artillery, received its baptism of fire at Royaumeix,
near Commercy, and was at St. Mihiel and in the !\ieuse-Argonne operations.
It was then a unit of the 53d Artillery, Coast Artillery Corps. The shield of the
coat of arms is red for artillery. The history of Battery D is symbolizedby the